The head of the Department of Homeland Security acknowledges that airport security lines have gotten longer, but he said any real fixes to the problem will require money.
Congress has so far sent mixed signals about whether it will free up the money. That is making travel industry leaders nervous because even the talk of airport gridlock could scare off Americans from traveling this summer.
“It’s alarmingly likely that the mere perception of security hassles at U.S. airports will have an effect on travel — which supports employment for 1 out of every 9 Americans — as we head into the summer travel season,” said Roger Dow, president and chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association, the trade group for the country’s travel industry.
Longer wait times, which have already been blamed for delays and missed flights throughout the nation, are the result of several factors, including more travelers, a delay in hiring new airport screeners and more extensive security measures adopted in the last year.
Travel industry leaders are wringing their hands over the potential delays because travel is expected to surge this summer, thanks to low fuel costs, which are keeping airfares down.
According to a survey by the travel site Orbitz, 75 percent of Americans plan to travel this summer, a 7 percent increase over last summer.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a statement last week saying the Transportation Security Administration will increase staffing at the busiest airports and will add more explosives-sniffing dogs.
He has also encouraged more travelers to sign up for TSA PreCheck, the program that enables pre-screened fliers to use a speedier checkpoint without removing their shoes or taking out their laptops.
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Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times
